File-box.



No. 715,7I0'.` Patented Dec. 9. |902.

F. TRAMBLAY.-

FILE BOX.

Application med nu. e, 1902.) (No-Model.) 2 Sheets-Shogi 2.

YH: Nor-mrs PETERS co.. Pucmu'mo.. wAsHlNnfuN, D. c.

are filed between index-leaves held within the I UNITED STATES PATENTFEICE.

FELIX TEAMBLAY, oE cHIoAeo, ILLINOIS.

FILE-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,710, dated December9, 1902. Application led January 6,1902. Serial No. 88,497. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concer-71,.-

Beit known that I, FELIX' TRAMBLAY, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin File-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in file cases or boxes for use infiling letters, bills, dto., of that class wherein the papers box orcase by means of a suitable holding device attached to the back wall ofthe box.

The invention relates principally to a novel form of box of thischaracter which is so constructed that the same may be knocked down orfolded fiat while being transported or stored and which when in itsset-up position forms a rigid box, the several sections or parts of thebox for this purpose. being flexibly joined or hinged and provided attheir margins with means for detachably locking or securing the samein-their set-up position.

The invention relates also to other features of construction infiling-boxes, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a file box or caseembodying my improvements, said box being partly opened to exhibit itsconstruction. Fig. 2 is a similar view with parts broken away,illustrating a further opening or separation of the parts constitutingthe box. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the parts constituting a box inacompletely opened or knocked-down position. Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryperspective view of one corner of the box with parts broken away toillustrate more clearly the means for detachably interlocking the parts.Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken through one of the locking devicesand part of the wall to which it is attached. Fig. 6 is a face view ofthe locking device illustrated in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an end view of therear wall of the box with the end walls folded outwardly, showing thellocking-socket in said end wall. As shown in said drawings, A designatethe file case or box as a whole, consisting of bottom and top walls AA2, respectiv'elyend walls A5 A4, back wall A5, and front-wall A6. Saidtop wall A2 is hinged at its rear margin to a strip or ledge A7, whichlatter extends across the box from one end wall thereof to the other.The front wall Ai of the box is hinged at its lower margin to the bottomWall A', so as to drop or fold outwardly. The front wall of the box isprovided on its upper or free margin with the usual latch a, which isadapted to engage a metal socket a', secured in the front or free marginof the upper wall A2 to lock said latter wall in place when the l box isclosed.

The end walls A3 A4 andthe back wall A5 are hinged at their lowermargins to the bottom wall, so as to swing or fold outwardly, and theledge or strip A7. at the back of the box is also hinged at its rearmargin to the upper margin of the rear wall, said hinged connectionenabling the several connected members of the box to be folded flat andto thereby occupy substantially the same plane, in the manner shown inFig. 3. The hinged sections forming the ledge A7 and the end and backwalls are provided with fastening devices by which the same may belocked in their closed positions. The fastening devices for this purposein the construction shown are made as follows:

B B designate lugs which are attached to the rear end margins of the endwalls A3 A4 and are adapted to enter sockets a2 at the end margins ofthe rear wall A5 when said end walls are thrown upwardly, 'as shown inFig. l, the lugs being located in a plane parallel with the back wall,with which they are engaged, and serving when they are engaged with theback wall to hold the latter from backward or outward movement.constitute parts of plates B', Figs. 5 and 6, which are attached to theinner faces of said end walls A3 A, said plates being bent'or folded attheir ends to form the lugs B, which latter are disposed atsubstantially right an- Said lugs IOO gles to the principal parts of theplates. The lug-plates B are attached to the end walls of the box bymeans of prongs b b, which are cut and folded outwardly from the bodiesof the plates and extend through apertures in the end walls and areclenched on the outer sides thereof in the manner shown in Fig. 5. Inthe finished box the plates on the inside of said end walls and theclenched or folded outer ends of the lugs on the outside thereof areconcealed by the usual paper finishing paper pasted over the inner andouter surfaces of said walls. The sockets a2, Fig. 7, which receive thelugs B, are formed between the rear wall A5 and a strip A8, secured tothe inner face of said rear wall, one of said parts-to wit, the rearwall or said stripbeing recessed or cut away at its ends to form saidsockets.

C C designate other lugs which project downwardly from the under face ofthe ledge or strip A7 at the ends of the latter and are located inplanes parallel with the said end walls, said lugs being adapted whenthe box is in its set-up or assembled position to enter sockets formedbetween the inner faces of the end walls of the box and plates D D,attached to said Walls near the rear ends thereof. Said plates D areattached to the end walls of the box in the same manner as are theplates D', being provided with prongs which are cut and folded outwardlytherefrom and extend through said walls in the manner indicated in Figs.3 and 4. The plates D may be bent inwardly between their ends to formsockets to receive the lugs C, or said plates may be flat and the endwalls cut away to form said sockets. The lugs C are formed on the endsof narrow sheet-metal plates C', as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3,and said plates C' may be connected with the ledge or strip A7 in thesame manner as are the plates B and D, connected with the end walls ofthe box. The iinishing-paper is shown in Fig. et as removed from theinner face of the end wall of the box in order to more clearly exhibitthe connecting-plates D and B', attached to said wall.

The lugs B B on the end walls hold the back wall and theledge attachedthereto from outward movementaway from the said end walls, while thelugs C C hold the said end walls from outward movement in a direction todisengage them from the back wall and ledge. The two sets of lugs B Band C C therefore in themselves serve to hold the parts of the box inplace when set up or in condition for use, it being obvious that theparts will not become detached unless the ledge be lifted and swung backuntil the lugs C C are disengaged from the end walls and that if thelugs are tightly fitted in the sockets accidental separation of theparts is not liable to occur in the usual handling of the box.

As a further improvement, however, I provide means for positivelylocking the lugs C to the end walls of the box in such manner as toprevent the ledge A7 being lifted from the end walls. In the instanceillustrated the said lugs and the plates D are apertured to receivelocking-pins E, which pass transversely through the plate and lugs andserve to prevent accidental separation of said parts by the lifting ofthe ledge. `Said pins also prevent the contents of the box bulging theledge outwardly should the box be overfilled.

In assembling the box the back wall is first thrown upwardly and the endwalls A3 A4 are afterward folded toward said back wall, so that thelocking-lugs B thereof will enter the sockets a2 of the back wall of thebox. Thereafter the ledge A7 is folded downwardly to bring the lugs Cinto engagement with the sockets a2, formed between the plates D and theend walls of the box. Said lugs may then be locked in said plates byinserting the pins E through the registering apertures therein, if suchadditional locking device be employed. If desired, the lugs C may extendentirely past the lower margins 0f the plates D and the locking-pinsinserted through apertures in said lugs below said plate.

The ends of the strips A8 obviously constitute shoulders on the backwall of the box, which engage the side walls and prevent the same movinginwardly past their upright positions, and the interlocking of the lugswith said side walls prevents the same spreading outwardly, therebyaording a rigid connection between the back and side walls of the box.It is obvious that the same general results would be secured if theparts A5 and A of the back wall were made of a single piece and theshoulder formed at the ends thereof by cutting away said wall at theends. When the parts of the box are folded upwardly into the positionsdescribed and locked therein, therefore, the said parts constitute asrigid a structure as though permanently joined together in the ordinarymanner, while at the same time said construction enables said parts tobe separated and the box as a whole to be knocked down into the datposition shown in Fig. 3. The knocking down of the boxes in this mannerobviously enables the boxes to be shipped in a much more compact statethan when made in the ordinary manner and also enables said boxes to beshipped as a class of freight bearing a much lower rate than set-up orassembled boxes.

The back wall AB is cut away at the center of its inner face to form anupwardly-opening recess a3, which is designed to receive a holdingdevice for the index -sheets, between which the papers are filed in thebox in the usual manner. Said sheets and the holding devices thereforare, for the sake of clearness of exhibiting the main or principalfeatures of the device, omitted. By reason of the flexible connection ofthe ledge or strip A7 with the back wall of the box said ledge may bethrown upwardly and away from the end walls suffi- IOO IIO

cientlyto expose the upper open end of the recess ldito enable the usualfastening device to be inserted thereinto from above. The ledge ywhen'inits closed position closessaid recess and prevents accidentaldisplacement of said fastening device.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the details of the fasteningand locking devices without departing from the spirit of my invention,and I do not wish to be limited to the exact structural details shownherein except as hereinafter made the subject of specific claims. l

I claim as my inventionl. A knockdown file-box having end,front and backwalls which are hinged to the bottom wall, and a top wall which ishinged to the upper margin of the back wall, said back wall beingprovided with a recess to receive a holding device for index-leaves andmeans for detachably securing said end, back and top walls in theirclosed positions.

2. A knockdown tile-box having end, front and back walls which arehinged .to the bottom wall, and a narrow top section or ledge which ishinged to the back wall, said back wall being provided with anupwardly-opening recess to receive a holding device for index-leaves andmeans for detachably securing said end wall, back wall and ledge intheir closed positions.

3. A knockdown file-box having end, front and back walls which arehinged to the bottom wall, and a top wall which comprises a narrow rearsection or ledge which is hinged to the back wall, and a wider frontsection which is hinged to said ledge, said back wall being providedwith an upwardly-opening recess to receive a holding device forindexleaves, interlocking connections between the rear margins of theend walls and the end margins of the back wall, and also between the endmargins of the said ledge and the top margins of said end walls. 4,5/

4. A knockdown file-box having end, front and back walls which arehinged to the bottom wall, and a top wall which comprises a narrow rearsection or ledge which is hinged to the back wall, and a wider frontsection which is hinged to said ledge, said back wall being providedwith an upwardly-opening recess to receive a holding device forindexleaves, locking-lugs on the end walls adapted to enter sockets inthe rear wall, and lockinglugs on said'ledge adapted to enter sockets inthe end walls.

5. A knockdown file-box having end, front and back walls which arehinged to the bottom wall, and a top wall which comprises a narrow rearsection or ledge which is hinged to the back wall, ,and a wider frontsection which is hinged to said ledge, said rear wall being providedwith a recess to receive a holding device for index-leaves and in itsends with outwardly-facing shoulders against which the end walls bear,lugs on said endl walls, adapted toenter sockets in said rear `wall,'andlugs on the said ledge adapted to enter sockets in said end walls.

6. A knockdown tile-box having end, front and back walls which arehinged to the bottom wall, and a top wall which comprises a narrow rearsection or ledge which is hinged to the back wall, and a wider frontsection which is hinged to said ledge, said back wall being providedwith an upwardly-opening indeX-holding-device recess which is closed bysaid ledge, lugs on the end walls adapted to enter sockets in the rearwall, other lugs on said ledge adapted to enter sockets in the endwalls, and means for positively locking said last-mentioned lugs intheir sockets.

'7. A knockdown file-box having end, front and back walls whicharehinged to the b ottom wall, and a top wall which comprises a narrowrear section or ledge which is hinged to the back wall, anda wider frontsection which is hinged to said ledge, said back wall being providedwith an upwardly-opening index-holding-device recess which is closed bysaid ledge, locking-lugs on the end walls adapted to enter sockets inthe rear wall, other lugs on said ledge adapted to enter sockets in theend walls, said last-mentioned` lugs being provided with apertures andlocking-pins adapted for insertion through said apertures and intoregistering apertures in the end walls.

' 8. A file-box provided in its back wall with an upwardly-openingindex-holding-device recess, the top wall of said box comprising anarrow annular section or ledge which is hinged to the back wall, andwhich when in its closed position closes said recess, and a wider frontsection hinged to said narrow section and constituting the lid of thebox, and locking means at the end margins of said ledge adapted toengage locking devices on the side walls of the boX.

9. A knockdown file-box having end, front, and back walls which arehinged to the bottom wall to fold outwardly away from said bottom wall,said back wall being provided with means for attaching thereto a holdingdevice for index-leaves, and a top wall which is hinged to the margin ofthe back wall to fold outwardly away therefrom, whereby all of saidfolding walls may be opened at in the same plane with the bottom wall,and means for locking said folded walls in their closed positions.

IOC

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10. Aknockdown file-box havingend,front,

and back walls which are hinged to the botbottom wall, said back wallbeing provided with means for attaching thereto a holding device forindex-leaves, and a top wallwhich comprises a narrow rear section orledge which is hinged to the back wall to fold outwardly away therefrom,and a wider front section which is hinged to said ledge, where by all ofsaid folding walls may be opened fiat in the same plane with the bottomwail, my invention I affix my signature, in presand interlockingconnections between the ence of two witnesses, this 3d day ofJanumargins of the end walls and the end marary, A. D. 1902.

gins of the back wall and also between the FELIX TRAMBLAY. 5 end marginsof said ledge and the tops of Witnesses:

said end Walls. C. CLARENCE POOLE,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as M. L. PRICE.

